Client perception of service delivery in the South African Police Service commmunity service centres in the greater Durban area

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of members of the public towards South African Police Service (SAPS), service delivery in the Community Service Centre (CSC) in the greater Durban area. The focus of the study was based on measurement of service quality dimension and service delivery in order to generate quality models for SAPS CSC. This study focuses on the determination of client perception of quality at the SAPS CSC. The main objective was to develop an understanding of the clients‟ perception of the service delivery by the SAPS CSC.
The Servqual Model was used to establish the client‟s perceptions against their expectations of service quality at the SAPS CSC. The person-administered survey was used as the most appropriate technique. Four hundred respondents were surveyed. The data was analysed using Descriptive and Inferential statistics. The five service quality dimensions of the Servqual Model were used to measure client‟s expectations and perceptions.
The results indicated that in all five service quality dimensions; (tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) there was a negative quality gap. The significant differences between perception and expectation of clients in all five service quality dimensions were noted. Improvement is needed across all five service quality dimensions to improve service delivery. Furthermore, the result has revealed that client‟s perception of service quality at the SAPS CSC falls below their expectations, presenting a great challenge to the organisation. In order to improve service quality, it is recommended that SAPS need to regularly assess and monitor employees, as well as clients experiences and provide feedback.